Big Beverage Uses Your Name to Sell more Sugar Water

How many times have you stopped to search for your name among the personalized keychains hanging on one of those spinning racks? If your name isn’t a common one, you’ll soon lose interest and walk away if you don’t see it. But if it is, you’re sure to find it in no time. Then, perhaps you’ll look for a loved one or a friend’s name. There are plenty of times I’ve found myself stopping in a front of one of those racks in a store to move it around to see if “Cindy” shows up anywhere.

A soda company uses this same concept to increase soda sales. They are putting individual names on miniaturized versions of their retro glass soda bottles — personalized nostalgia. When it was first introduced to the market, it created quite a stir. If you didn’t see your name on a bottle in the store, you were lured to their website to order one of your own. For six-bucks, the company will mail it to you. Just like the key chains, people like to see their names show up on stuff. Maybe you don’t even drink that brand of soda. But this one has your name on it. How cute is that? This clever marketing trick has single-handedly created a human connection.

Multi-million-dollar marketing has increased the sales of soft drinks around the world since its inception. Sports figures drink it. Famous people sing about it. The commercials promote soda as a part of a happy, fun-loving culture. Soda is available everywhere in stores and restaurants. Vending machines dispense it across the country. Our children have access to a wide variety of sugary drinks more than ever before. With the prevalence of obesity in adults and children, (1) sugar-sweetened drinks play a big part.

According to data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, people drink less milk and more soft drinks as they get older. In some populations, soda outranks milk as the beverage of choice among children (2). Is this proof that advertising works? This concerning trend continues to reduce the quality of nutrition in our diet.

In a side-by-side comparison, the sugar in regular milk occurs naturally in the form of lactose. The amount of natural sugar in milk is 12 g per 8 oz serving. Soda, on the other hand, has 40 grams of added sugar in a 12 oz can. Milk provides protein, calcium, potassium, and vitamin A and D. Sodas provide zero nutritional value. How much sugar is in 40 grams? About 4 grams of sugar equals 1 teaspoon. So, a 12 oz serving provides 10 teaspoons of sugar. That’s more than 3 times the sugar than 8 oz of milk.

There’s no denying nowadays sugar is considered the bad guy. There’s absolutely no way to completely avoid it ever, nor should you. In its simplest form, glucose is energy for our brains and muscles. It helps you think and move. Our bodies need enough carbohydrates as part of balanced nutrition. Balance instead of avoidance is the best way to better health.

How do you balance your sugar intake? Here are 3 ways

1. Water is still the best way to hydrate when you’re feeling thirsty. Our bodies can’t survive without it. Add lemon or lime slices for flavor.
   
2. During meals, drink plain water, 100% fruit juice, low fat, or fat-free milk as recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020- 2025 (3).
   
3. If you’re someone who absolutely can’t do without soda in your diet, consider drinking it in lesser amounts. If you normally drink 20 oz or more reduce, it to 12 oz, then step down to 7.5 oz. While reducing your intake, why not try unsweetened decaffeinated iced tea or flavored seltzer water with zero sugar as alternates.  

If you’re serious about making diet changes to benefit your health, talk to your doctor, then meet with a registered dietitian in your area.

To end on an important note: sugary beverages are the single largest source of calories and added sugar in the American diet. In other parts of the world, sugary drink consumption is on the rise due to urbanization and beverage marketing. (4). Arm yourself with knowledge. By becoming mindful of how these drinks are marketed, you will have a better understanding of how your purchasing behaviors might be influenced. Remember beverage companies spend millions of dollars to learn about your buying habits and how to influence your children’s choices. As consumers, we all need to be more aware of that.

References

1. “Data & Statistics.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 May 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/index.html.
   
2. Herrick KA, Terry AL, Afful J. Beverage consumption among youth in the United States, 2013–2016. NCHS Data Brief, no 320. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2018.
   
3. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025. 9th Edition. December 2020. Available at DietaryGuidelines.gov.
   
4. “Sugary Drinks.” The Nutrition Source, 16 Oct. 2019, https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-drinks/sugary-drinks/.

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